view raw text
Due de Fer Prevails in William Penn Unbeaten Colt Nips4 Full Flight by Nose riltakem Third to Rodgers Juvenile in Bang-Up Finish Of Thriller at Garden State By WILLIAM C. PHILLIPS Staff Correspondent GARDEN STATE PARK, Camden, N. J., May 23. — J. W. Rodgers Due de Fer retained an unblemished record by winning | the twelfth edition of the William Penn Stakes here this afternoon, but it was by the shortest possible margin. Wheatley j Stables Full Flight closed with a powerful i rush to almost catch the winner, and Dun- i treath Farms Illtakem weakened only in ] the last few strides to give way and finish third, just a head away. Brookmeade Sta- ; bles Martyr was two and one-half lengths i out of the money. ; Those among the large throng of 33,572 • who installed Due de Fer as their stalwart ; at 7 to 10 not only experienced an ample | share of thrills during the contest, but they ; were forced to anxiously await the decision , of the placing judges. The latter gentlemen called for a couple of prints of the photo and then used their most powerful magnifying glass. Due de Fer, who last week equaled the track record of :M% for the five furlongs, ran the same distance this afternoon over a "good" track in 1:00%. The brown colt, who has a black sheen, has won all three of his starts and now boasts a bank account of 5,975. of which 1,100 was his share of todays purse. The time of todays running, incidentally, was the slowest since 1948, when the contest was established at five furlongs. Prove Ability Both the winner and Full Flight, with another creditable mention to riltakem, stamped themselves as worthy colts by todays performance. Due de Fer, a squarely-built son of Spy Song — Lady Waterloo, by Quatre Bras II., was admirably ridden by Logan Batcheller. and he displayed a determination to win that is the making of "good" horses. Full Flight, racing from well off the pace and losing ground circling horses, was just as determined in his final bid. He is a much more ruggedly fashioned colt, by Ambiorix, and has a deeper chest and heavier neck than Due de Fer. riltakem displayed his speed to best advantage up until the last few yards, and it is possible that the son of Eight Thirty might have been a trifle "short". Due de Fer broke alertly as George Palmer sent the field of 12 away in a perfect start, and he made a strong, but unsuccessful bid, to reach the front when urged entering the far turn. Batcheller thereafter occasionally kept after him to stay close to the fleet Illtakem, and Due de Fer had the necessary quality when called upon with vigorous pushing at the end. W. W. Waters Bea Marony, a 26 to 1 shot, drove to a length victory in the third race, but she was disqualified and placed last. John L. McKnights Milldale was thereby made the winner for an 1.40 return, Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Markus Liberty Luck was awarded second after a particularly poor beginning, and Thorncliff Farms Gala Morn given third. The foul committed by Bea Marony, ridden by Ken Godkins, probably was not obvious to the majority, but it was serious. The stewards lodged the objection before advisement from the clerk of scales, and deliberated only shortly before changing the finish. Mr. and Mrs. John Gilberts Sky World was the recipient of the foul, being sloughed into the rail at the five-sixteenths marker by Bea Marony, causing him to almost fall.
